BED 



142 



BED 



Thwe are tcaroely of any ute but * rabbit warrens, al- 

 though MOM of them h.ive been brought into rullivitiinn. 

 AUuitf liic nv. r lvi-1. in tin- parishes of Tmgnth, Flclwick, 

 \\ i'-!.niiim. II. lion, Muulden, &c., coiiMdvrable <|uunlily 

 uf liTruKinous peat i found. 



1 in thiii brief sketch it will be seen that there in scarcely 

 mi) county uf which the toil in so diversified, anil ulu-i.- . \ 

 |>eriiucnts on i In- best mode of cultivating various toiU 

 could be made with more advantage. With tlio well-known 

 iMlronune ol the Duke* of Bedford, especially of tin- Lite 

 L)uke Francis, and oilier larue proprietors, and the example 

 nl their stewards and immediate U-auitls, one would expect 

 a greater pmuie*s ill the science and practice of agriculture 

 than will bo found in the county in general on rureful 

 ii ition. Many improvements have, no doubt, been 

 intrUieed since the rounty has been more generally in- 

 closed, which could not be expected \vhtlc the- system of 

 nniriioii I'M Ms precluded any deviation from the esta- 

 blished rotations of crops; but much yet remains to be 

 done before the county of Bedford can vie with the easteni 

 maritime counties, from the Thames to the H umber, in 

 tl.c cultivation of the land, or in the management of 

 stock. The poor, cold clays, which form a considerable 

 portion of the soil of this county, as they are cultivated 

 at present, -jive no ".real return to the farmer. The chief 

 produce is corn, and it requires much labour and expense 

 to obtain a very moderate crop. This, together with the 

 gradual depreciation in the value of corn when compared 

 vi. 1:1 stock, makes the rents very I..w. Most of the land 

 north of Bedford does not let for above 10*. an acre, and 

 some as low as 6s., in spite of considerable expense incurred 

 by proprietors in fencing and making ditches, an essential 

 improvement on this kind of soil. That a better system 

 could be adopted there can be no doubt, but old prejudices 

 interfere with ihe belter management of cold, wet clays ; 

 and while poor light soils, formerly considered as nearly 

 barren, have been greatly improved by the introduction of 

 turnips and the profit on sheep, the poor clays are still 

 mauaged nearly in the same manner as they were a century 

 ago ; and many practical and intelligent men imagine, that 

 no new method can be adopted with any chance of success. 

 The chief cause of this is, perhaps, the difficulty of convert- 

 ing such soils into good pasture after having been once 

 broken up ; but this difficulty, however real, is not insur- 

 mountable. 



On this subject we must refer the reader to the article 

 GR VSS-LAND, in which the principles of this, important part 

 of agriculture will be discussed. In the account of the agri- 

 culture of BERWICKSHIRE, also, some useful practical ex- 

 amples are given. 



It must be acknowledged by all those who are interested 

 in the letting of land, that there is a great difficulty at pre- 

 sent in finding responsible tenants, with sufficient capital, 

 who are inclined to take a farm consisting chiefly of heavy 

 nd cold arable land, however low the rent may be ; and 

 that, when a tenant is tempted by a very reduced rent in 

 take such a farm, he is soon discouraged and repents of his 

 bargain : whereas light lands, however poor, upon which 

 turnips can be made to grow, and sheep can be kept, soon 

 find respectable tenants. 



In the light lands the system is well established, and nothing 

 is required but to follow the regular course of crops, and pay 

 attention to the theep ; the crops are logs precarious, 

 and the weather does not so often interfere with the common 

 operations, of husbandry. Hence it is that the chief im- 

 provements have been made in the sandy soils ; and it will 

 require some new impulse to agricultuial speculations to en- 

 I'ither proprietors or tenants to adopt an improved sys- 

 tem on ihe wet clays. Hut, even according to the old system 

 of fallowing and cropping, the clay soils in Bedfordshire arc 

 . the must approved manner, us will be seen 

 iiio usual operations with those on similar 

 .'1 Suffolk. The old method in Bedfordshire, 

 which is Mill continued by many farmers, was to fallow the 

 land every third year, and as by this system there was no 

 means of raising a sufficient quantity 'of manure to dress 

 the land fallowed, recourse wa, had to'tho Folding of sheep. 

 This system was well adapted to situations where ample 

 commons gave the means of keeping the sheep at a small 

 ,-e: but where such commons Inve lieen ind -e.l, 

 and the sheep must necessarily be maintained on the farm, 

 it is e\ :.l. 'lit that, unlc-s lixxl tor the sheep be raised on the 

 field ou which they arc folded, one part of the farm it 



robbed to enrich the other ; and the damage dona to ilia 

 sheep by folding thein n c.tl.l, vtei ri.ivsm raini weuther, 

 is probably not compensated by the troud winch their manure 

 doe* U) the following crop. >er, also, in \\hich the 



fallows ure treated is not perfect. The old custom was to 

 give only three ploughing, which hud distinct names : the 

 first was called the/u//<>U', the second tin ring, aud lite ihird 

 laying ti/i. There seems to have been a p. 

 frequent ploughing of still' soil, and the drag or harrow* 

 were not much used. This is very (liilerciit from the 

 lice on stiff sods in the county of Esv\, where they never 

 think thov can plough enough. (Sec Bachelor's i'urr/y </ 

 Bedforduiin, p. 



The usual rotation was, first a fallow, of which as much 

 as could be folded over with sheep was sown with w. 

 the remainder was slightly manured, and sown w iih i 

 The second crop was beans or oats ; and then the Uad was 

 so foul and exhausted as to require another summer fallow. 

 Better rotations have been introduced since the common 

 fields have been divided and inclosed ; but the old and 

 faulty system, under which the ancestors of the present ra<-c 

 lived comfortably, and at low rents, is looked back to by 

 many as superior to those which have been introduced 

 since. The great fault lies in the want of balance 

 tween the land tilled for corn, and that which is devoted to 

 grass or green crops for cattle. Some farms are man 

 in a scientific manner, but the example 1ms not been very 

 generally followed. 



There are a few meadows along the course of the rivers 

 Ivel and Ouse which are occasionally flooded. Where the 

 subsoil is gravelly and porous, the herbage is good and 

 abundant ; where it is composed of clay, and there is not u 

 very ready channel for the water to run off, the herbage is 

 coarse and full of rushes. These meadows might be much 

 improved by banks and sluices judiciously placed. In no 

 other part of the county is there much good grass-land, a few- 

 spots near the larger towns excepted. It has been in;: 

 a reproach to the soil of the county, that there was no pas- 

 ture in it that would fatten a bullock. Whether this be cor- 

 rect or not, it is certain that no such rich grass is to be found, 

 as may be seen in some of the richer grazing districts. 



There is nothing remarkable in the cattle and sheep in 

 this county, there being no indigenous breeds of either. 

 The cows are of every imaginable breed: and as there are 

 few extensive dairies, except some about Ampthill, no par- 

 ticular breed is kept so pure as to deserve a name. Some 

 few individuals have taken pains to introduce choice cattle, 

 but these are exceptions; and, in general, the few o\cn 

 that are fatted are bought of drovers at the different lairs, 

 and are chiefly Scots, Welsh, and short-horns. The sleep 

 are mostly Leicesters and South-downs, which have nearly 

 superseded the old horned breed formerly kept ; for alth 

 these were more hardy, and suffered less from folding on 

 cold wet land, the improved breeds are much more profit- 

 able, especially in inclosed fields. 



Formerly there were many rabbit-warrens on the poor, 

 light, grey sands, as this was considered the only ii 

 or deriving any profit from so poor a soil. Most of these 

 have been converted into farms, whether with much ad- 

 vantage in general we will not say, but in some c 

 with a decided improvement; and rabbits are now con- 

 sidered more as a nuisance to the adjoining lands, than 

 as a source of profit. An attempt was made lately to 

 breed tame rabbits, and to fat them for the London mai 

 with food raised purposelv for them. Many thousands were 

 kept on this plan by Mr. Fisher, in buildings raised on 

 purpose near Ampthill, but the speculation did not answer, 

 and the establishment was broken up. Whether this 

 species of industry might not be profitable tn cottagers on a. 

 small scale, Is a subject worthy of experiment. The chief 

 thing to be attended to in feeding rabbits is cleanliness and 

 air; and from their prolific nature, and the value of the 

 skin and flesh of the best sorts, it is highly prnhaMe that, 

 with good management, a considerable profit mieht be made 

 from them. The pigs reared and fatted in Bedfordshire arc 

 mostly of the Berkshire anil Suffolk breeds, but no great 

 pains are taken to keep up thoir distinguishing Qualities, and 

 they an- often crossed very injudiciously. No animal varies 

 more in its qualities than the pig, and the different breeds 

 :ic point in common, that of beinu' prolific. The 

 qtialit Miig parly, and on n small quantity of food, 



only to very improved breeds, which are not kept 

 sufficiently distinct in this county. 



